Call for Stories: Bach as Tonic

Hi everyone! 

I've just been catching up on the posts in this community, and am so amazed by the many musical journeys you're all on, and the myriad places you come from!

I'm the creator of tonebase's podcast, "The Tonic," and I have a request for you: write to me with your story of how Bach's music has played a healing role in your life. 

To celebrate Bach month at tonebase, we're collecting stories that speak to the power of Bach's music to heal, in the many senses of that word. Bach's music has a special ability to bring comfort to people in a world that is so often full of chaos. Schumann can attest -- he wrote out Bach fugues to treat his depression. In my own life, Bach's music has comforted me many times. The first time I found comfort in Bach's music is when I had to say goodbye to my girlfriend in the summer after high school, both of us heading to different colleges the next year. Sensitive high schooler that I was, I was full of inner turmoil, hoping but not totally believing that things would work out at a distance. Sitting in the airport, I put on the Goldberg Variations, which filled the emptiness with its ever-changing patterns and its warm core. It was like a teaching -- that life was good, and that change was necessary, in spite of the pain. Bach was right: that girlfriend of long ago has remained in my life, and we're getting married this spring!

I'd love to hear from you! You can respond in writing directly to this thread, but the best thing to do would be to send me a recording of yourself telling your story. You can make a recording using your phone, or any other recording device you have. Then, either post it to this thread as an attachment to your message or send it to me at [email protected] with the title "Bach as Tonic."

Looking forward to hearing your stories!

Lowry

Philadelphia, PA